Facing wall constrution

ABSTRACT

CEMENTITIOUS FACING PANELS ARE SECURED TO A BUILDING WALL BY MEANS OF CLIPS, EACH CLIP HAVING ONE PORTION ATTACHED TO THE WALL AND ANOTHER PORTION FITTED IN AN INTEGRALLY FORMED GROOVE IN THE BACK OF A FACING PANEL. THE PANEL GROOVES SLIDABLY MATE WITH THE CLIPS TO PERMIT EASY INSTALLATION.

Feb. 2, 1971 R. v. LOHSE ET AL 3,559,358

FACING WALL CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 15

s Sheets-Sheet 1 'DAV/D G. FOWLER BY 5 INVENTORS" R0557? T SE ATTOR EVFeb. 2, 1971 R, v, LQHSE ETAL' 3,559,358

. FACING WALL CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 15, 1967 s Sheets-Sheet 2 UnitedStates Patent 3,559,358 FACING WALL CONSTRUCTION Robert Vincent Lohse,West Orange, N.J., and David George Fowler, Timmins, Ontario, Canada,assignors to Johns-Manville Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporationof New York Filed Sept. 15, 1967, Ser. No. 668,120 Int. Cl. E04b 1/16,1/38 US. Cl. 52--379 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Cementitiousfacing panels are secured to a building wall by means of clips, eachclip having one portion attached to the wall and another portion fittedin an integrally formed groove in the back of a facing panel. The panelgrooves slidably mate with the clips to permit easy installation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates broadly to means forsecuring facing panels to a building. In particular, it relates to themechanical fastening of cementitious facing panels to a buildingstructure, with the fastening means being hidden from view.

In the construction of new oflice buildings, apartment buildings andother related structures, and in the renovation of old buildings, muchemphasis is placed on selection of suitable types of architecturalpanels for use as a veneer on exterior walls. Relatively thick naturalstone and thick precast concrete panels often are used to produce thenatural, rugged, massive appearance desired by many architects. Whilesatisfactory in appearance, the high cost of such panels and thedifficulty of installing them, due to their great weight, has causedarchitects to search for other types of facing panels, preferably panelswhich create the same type of visual effect as natural stone and thickprecast concrete panels but which are less expensive and easier tohandle.

One type of panel that has met with success in producing the desiredesthetic effect while being relatively thin and lightweight is apreformed cementitious panel, the thickness of which may be as little asabout inch in contrast to previously employed panels three to fourinches in thickness. It can be secured to the building structure bymeans of mechanical fasteners, such as bolts, but such an arrangementleaves exposed bolt heads or other fastening means, which detract fromthe appearance of the panels.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide amechanical fastening arrangement for securing cementitious facing panelsto a structural building wall, which arrangement is easy to install andis hidden from view.

Another object is to provide such an arrangement which is adapted to -beinstalled over various types of structural supporting walls.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly described, the invention comprises acementitious facing panel having an integral groove in its back facewhch mates with a structural clip secured to a structural building wall.Spaced from the bottom of the groove are inwardly directed flangesintegrally formed on the side walls of the groove. The clip has aprojecting portion spaced from and substantially parallel to the wallwhich fits into the groove in the space or slot between the bottom ofthe groove and the inwardly directed flanges. The grooves and theprojecting portion of the clip are so formed that their dimensionspermit the projecting portion to have relative sliding movement withrespect to the grooves, thus permitting the panel to be moved into placeon the wall by sliding it down over a previously installed clip. Thesame basic construction is followed for all types of clips, whichinclude starter clips adapted to support the bottom of the panel,tie-back clips adapted to hold the panel in place at various pointsintermediate the height of the panel, and connector clips adapted tohold the top of one panel in place, while supporting the bottom edge ofthe next higher panel.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The nature of the invention will be more fullyunderstood and other objects may become apparent when the followingdetailed description is considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial representation of a typical cementitious panelwhich may be used in the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary pictorial representation of a pair of panels ofthe type shown in FIG. 1, held in place by a starter clip;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken on line 3-3 ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary pictorial representation of a panel held inplace by a different type of starter clip;

FIG. 5 is a pictorial representation of a panel held in placeintermediate its height by a tie-back clip;

FIG. 6 is a pictorial representaton of another type of tie-back clip;

FIG. 7 is a pictorial representation similar to that of FIG. 6, butshowing a modified clip;

FIG. 8 is a pictorial representation similar to that of FIG. 6, butshowing another modified clip;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary pictorial representation of two verticallyadjacent panels held in place by a single connector clip;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken on line 1010 ofFIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary end view showing a typical panel witha connector clip engaged intermediate the panel width.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, atypical cementitious panel for use in the present invention isillustrated at 10. The back face 12 of the panel is provided with anumber of grooves 14 parallel to the side edges of the panel which formlands 16 between the grooves. The panel may be comprised of any desiredcenientitious material strong enough to resist stresses at theconnection between the grooves and the support clips describedhereinafter. A preferred material is asbestos-cement, a compositioncap-able of providing adequate strength even at a panel thickness of aslittle as inch. While such a panel may be formed by a molding process,excellent results have been produced by extruding it, thus facilitatingthe formation of the groove and land areas. Extruding further permitsformation of intricate groove shapes and decorations on the panel faces,and results in fewer rejects than if such a panel were formed by theconventional molding process.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show a typical installation of facing panels held in placeby a starter clip. Panels and 10a having, respectively, grooves 14 and14a and land areas 16 and 16a, are butted together at their adjacentside edges to form a joint 18. If desired, the joint 18 may be filledwith a suitable waterproof sealant, such as, for example, a polysulfideor silicone sealing compound. The panels are formed so that the cutawayportion 20 at the side edge of panel 10 and cutaway portion 20a at theside edge of panel 10a each constitute one-half of a full groovestructure, such as grooves 14 and 14a. Thus when the panels are buttedas shown, the half-grooves 2.0 and 20a combine to form a full sizegroove identical to the grooves 14 and 14a.

Taking groove 14 in FIG. 3 as a typical groove formation, it can be seenthat the adjacent land areas 16 terminate in flanges 22 spaced apart adistance less than the width of the bottom of the groove. The flanges 22also form a part of the side walls of the grooves 14 and serve to definethe groove space or slot 24 located between the flanges 22 and thebottom of the groove 14.

The starter clip shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is indicated generally byreference numeral 26 and comprises a body portion or plate 28 attachedto the upper face of structural wall or ledge 30 by suitable fasteners,such as bolts 32. Perpendicular to the plate 28 and spaced from theouter edge of the wall 30 is an upwardly projecting portion 34 ofsubstantially lesser width than the body portion 28. The width of theprojecting portion 34 is correlated to the width of the slot portion ofthe groove formed by the half-grooves 20 and 20a to permit relativesliding movement between the projecting clip portion 34 and the groove.

This relationship is brought out more clearly in FIG. 11 which shows theprojecting portion 34 of the clip extending into a groove 14 of thepanel 16. The side wall 36 of the groove 14 between the flange 22 andthe bottom of the groove 14 is rounded to facilitate relative slidingmovement between the projecting portion 34 and the slot portion 24 ofgroove 14. This is a desirable arrangement because if the width of theslot portion of the groove were considerably greater than the width ofthe projecting clip portion 34, it would necessitate the flange portions22 of the groove to extend inwardly toward each other a greater distancethan is required by having the width of the projecting portion justslightly less than the width of the slot portion 24. The more the flangeportion 22 projects inwardly beyond the side edge of the slot portion24, the thicker the dimension 38 would have to be resist shear forces. Atypical arrangement, which has been found to successfully withstand theforces to which it is exposed when installed on a structural buildingwall, comprises an asbestos-cement panel used in connection with clipsof 18-gauge steel. For a panel having a thickness of about inch, it ispreferred that the total depth of the groove 14 be about inch, with thedepth of the slot portion comprising about inch and the thickness of theflange (corresponding to the dimension indicated by numeral 38)comprising about /8 inch. In such an arrangement, the distance theflange extends beyond the side wall of the slot portion of the groovepreferably would be about A: inch. Designs of different dimensions canbe utilized so long as the basic relationships required for satisfactoryperformance of the invention, as disclosed herein, are met.

Referring backs to FIGS. 2 and 3, it will be noted that the lower edgesof the adjacent land portions 16 and 16a of adjacent abutting panels 10and 10a, respectively, are supported on the plate portion 28 of clip 26adjacent the projecting portion 34, and that the panels 10 and 10a arespaced from the wall 30. Thus the clip 26 not only serves to positionand align the panels during installation, but to space the panels fromthe structural wall and to assist in supporting the weight of the panel.The spacing of the panels from the wall permits them to be installed ina uniform vertical plane regardless of the roughness or unevenness ofthe wall, which might otherwise prevent such an installation if thepanels were backed directly against the wall.

To install such a panel it is merely necessary to first determine thedistance it is desired to have the panel spaced from the building wall,then secure the starter clip to the wall so that the projecting portionof the clip is spaced a corresponding distance from the wall. The panelis moved into place by sliding it downwardly so that the projectingportion of the clip engages the slot portion of the panel groove. Whenusing a clip at the adjacent side edges of a pair of panels, with theprojecting clip portion cooperating with the groove formed by theabutting half-grooves of the panels, clips should first be attached tothe building wall at the desired locations of the vertical side edges ofa panel and the panel then moved into place so that the half-groove ateach side edge slidingly engages half of the projecting portion of theadjacent clip. Installation of the next adjacent panels will thencomplete the groove formation and will anchor the panels in place on theclips.

Referring to FIG. 4, another type of starting clip is shown which can beused when the available horizontal wall or ledge surface is too shallowto permit use of the type of clip illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. In thisarrangement a starter clip 40 is attached to a wall 42 by means of bolts44 extending through the main body portion 46 of the clip. The parallelprojecting portion 48 is connected to and spaced from the body portion46 by an intermediate portion 50 which rests on the narrow horizontalsurface of ledge 52. The half-groove of panel 56 is illustrated as beingengaged with the projecting portion 48 of the clip 40. If desired, asuitable waterproof sealant 58 can be used between the bottom of thepanel 56 and the ledge 52. An added benefit derived from spacing thepanels from the wall when all edges of the panels are sealed is the deadair space between the backs of the panels and the structural wall whichserves as an insulator.

Referring to FIG. 5, the clip 60 is a tie-back clip which is usedintermediate the horizontal edges of the panel to assist the starterclip in holding the panel in place. The clip 60 comprises a body portion62 secured by bolts 64 to the upper surface of a ledge or block 66 of astructural wall shown in an intermediate stage of construction. The bodyportion 62 extends outwardly beyond the vertical face of the structuralwall 66 to form an intermediate portion connected to a downwardlydepending projecting portion 68 which engages with the halfgroove 70 ofthe panel 72 in the same manner that the projecting portions of theclips shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 engage in the half-grooves of theirassociated panels. Adjacent the projecting portion 68, the body portion62 of the clip is provided with notches 74 on opposite sides of theclip. The notches are of suitable dimensions to permit the flangeportion 76, which forms a part of the side wall of the half-groove 70,to have relative sliding movement with the clip during installation. Toinstall such a clip and panel arrangement, the clip can first bepositioned by using the panel itself, or a similarly shaped template, tolocate the distance the projecting portion should be spaced from thewall. The clip is then secured in place on the wall 66 and the panelmoved into place with the half-groove 70 in sliding engagement with theprojecting portion 68.

Another clip which can be used for the same purpose as the clip 60 isillustrated in FIG. 6 at 78 and is comprised of a body portion 80 and aprojecting portion 82. The body portion 80 comprises a series ofcorrugations adapted to hold the clip in place within a mortar groovebetween two vertically adjacent horizontal courses of building blocks.There are no notches provided in the body portion 80 of the clip 78, butthe width of the body portion is narrow enough to permit slidingmovement between the projecting portion 82 and the groove of a facingpanel. In other words, the width of the body portion 80 corresponds tothe distance between the notches 74 of the clip 60 illustrated in FIG.5.

In FIG. 7 another type of tie-back clip is illustrated. In thisembodiment, the clip 84 is provided with body portion 86, projectingportion 88 and notches 90. The notches are provided in an intermediateconnecting portion 92 the length of which corresponds to the distancethe projecting portion should be spaced from the structural wall towhich the clip is secured. The body portion 86 is provided with a seriesof corrugations to permit it to be inserted in a mortar groove betweenadjacent rows of blocks. The body portion is in a plane at right anglesto the plane of the intermediate connecting portion so that it may fitbetween the vertical side edges of adjacent blocks of a structural wall.

FIG. 8 illustrates a clip similar in some respects to the clip shown inFIG. 7. The clip 94 of FIG. -8 is comprised of a body portion 96 and aprojecting portion 98, the body portion being aligned in a verticalplane when installed, as in the case of the clip 84 of FIG. 7, and beingconnected to the projecting portion 98 by intermediate connectingportion 100. The body portion 96 is adapted to be bolted to the sidewall of a building block before the next adjacent building block forminga part of the structural wall is put into place. The width of the con--necting portion 100 is substantially the same as the width between thebottoms of the notches 90 of the clip 84 shown in FIG. 7 to permitrelative sliding movement between the projecting portion 98 and thegrooves in a facing panel.

It should be understood that any combination of the hidden fasteningsystem. The panels are not only supported by clips but are also spacedby them a suitable distance from the facing wall so that any unevennessin the facing wall will not make it diflicult or impossible to erect afacing panel wall in a smooth vertical plane. Furthermore, when theedges of the panels are sealed, the resulting dead air space between thepanels and the structural wall acts as an insulator to assist in theinsulating of the building. The simple clip arrangement permits avariations illustrated in FIGS. 5 through 8 can be used in a tie-backclip. For example, even though notches have been shown in the clip 60 ofFIG. 5, it is contemplated that the entire body portion 62 may be of alesser width, functioning with respect to permitting relative slidingmovement with a panel in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 8.Similarly, the body portion may be corrugated or twisted with respect tothe intermediate connecting portion as desired.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, a connector clip arrangement is shown foruse in combination with two vertically adjacent panels in a multicoursepanel system. In this arrangement, the connector clip 102 is bolted tothe structural wall 104 through body portion 106. Extending at rightangles to the body portion 106 are intermediate connecting portions 108and 110, each of which is connected at its extremity to a projectingportion 112 and 114, respectively. The projecting portion 112 cooperateswith the half-groove 116 of panel 118 and the projecting portion 114cooperates with the half-groove 120 of the next lower adjacent panel122. The upper intermediate portion 108 is notched at 124 adjacent theend of the projecting portion 112 to permit the flange 126 of the sidewall of the half-groove 116 of panel 118 to pass through theintermediate body portion during the relative sliding movement thatoccurs at installation between panel 118 and projecting portion 112. Thelower intermediate body portion 110 is not notched, however, because ithas to provide support for the bottom edge of the land portion 128 ofpanel 118. Thus the connector clip 102 combines the features of thetie-back clip and the starter clip to hold vertically adjacent panels inplace.

It should now be apparent that the clip and panel system of the presentinvention permits cementitious panels, which ordinary cannot be providedwith separate fastening means without resulting in at least some of thefastening means being exposed to view, to be held in place by a singlepiece of stock to be notched, where appropriate, and subsequentlysubjected to suitable bending operations to produce the finished clip.It is preferred that the tieback clips be notched because this permitsthe body portion of the clip to be of a greater width, thus providinggreater strength and less waste. However, the clips and panels willfunction the same, as far as their installation is concerned, if thebody portion is of lesser width, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 8. Thesame comments apply to the body portion 108 of the connector clipillustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10.

The scope of the invention is not limited to the specific embodimentsdisclosed herein, which may be modified without departing from thespirit of the invention, but is to be interpreted only in accordancewith the appended claims, when read in the light of the foregoingdisclosure.

What is claimed is:

1. In an exterior facing wall construction,

(a) a structural building wall,

(b) a structural clip, comprising (1) a body portion secured to thebuilding wall,

and

(2) a projecting portion spaced from the building wall and extendingsubstantially parallel thereto, and

(c) a pair of cementitious facing panels spaced from the building walland having abutting side edges, each panel having a front face and aback face,

((1) the back face of each panel having a cutaway portion opening intothe abutting side edge of the panel,

(e) the adjacent cutaway portions of the pair of panels forming a grooveextending substantially parallel to the projecting portion of the clip,

(f) the side walls of the groove being more closely spaced adjacent theback faces of the panels than adjacent the bottom of the groove todefine inwardly projecting flanges and a slot portion,

(g) the flanges of the groove being spaced a substantial distance fromeach other and from the abutting side edges of the panels and being ofsuflicient thickness to resist shearing when the panels are subjected toordinary forces tending to pull the panels away from the wall,

(h) the projecting portion of the clip being located in the slot portionbetween the bottom of the groove and the flanges,

(i) the width of the projecting portion of the clip being greater thanthe distance between the flanges but less than the width of the slot topermit relative sliding motion between the projecting portion of theclip and the slot as the panels are moved into place,

(j) the body portion of the clip being connected to the projectingportion of the clip by an intermediate portion having a lesser widthadjacent the projecting portion than the distance between the flanges ofthe groove to permit the entire projecting portion of the clip to belocated at any point between the top and bottom edges of the panels.

2. A facing wall construction as recited in claim 1, wherein theprojecting portion of the clip extends upwardly, and whereintheconstruction includes additionally a second intermediate clip portionbeneath the first intermediate clip portion, the lower edge of thegroove flanges resting on the second intermediate clip portion.

(References on following page) 7 8 References Cited FOREIGN PATENTSUNITED STATES PATENTS 1,340,757 9/ 1963 France 52489 59 5 2 2 1 9spilling 52 450 819,668 9/1959 Great Britain 52545 704,771 7/1902 Baile52450 1,006,424 10/1911 Ashe: 5 FRANK L. ABBOTT, Prlrnary Examlner1,835,524 12/1931 Rinehart et a1. 52-45l J. L. RIDGILL, JR., AssistantExaminer 2,130,531 9/1938 Arand 52-379 2,202,568 5/1940 Worden 52481 US-Cl- X-R. 2,356,309 8/1944 Garbe --1-- 52 235 391 509 513 714 3,016,6551/1962 Hosbein 52 509

